Protective helmet

ABSTRACT

A safety helmet includes a helmet shell that fits a human head and reaches up to his/her forehead area and a moveable, transparent visor mounted on the helmet shell, wherein an adapter device for attaching helmet attachments is arranged on the helmet shell at the forehead area. A rail leading towards the back of the head designed for the bearing and guidance of the visor is arranged on the adapter device.

The invention relates to a safety helmet according to the generic termof Patent claim 1.

A safety helmet of the aforementioned type, which is intended formilitary or police use in particular, is generally known in such a waythat no special evidence deriving from publications regarding this isrequired. Such a safety helmet consists of a helmet shell that fits ahuman head and reaches up to his/her forehead area and a moveable,transparent visor mounted on the helmet shell, wherein an adapter deviceis arranged on the helmet shell at the forehead area for attachinghelmet attachments, such as a night-vision device. In the case of thistype of safety helmet, the visor is typically attached to the safetyhelmet via swivel joints on both sides, whereby, for this purpose,passage openings that impair the safety-related or (here and hereinafteralso mentioned:) ‘ballistic’ characteristics of the safety helmet mustbe provided on the helmet shell.

The object of the invention is to improve a safety helmet of theaforementioned type. In particular, a safety helmet is to be createdthat exhibits good wear comfort and good ballistic properties despitethe use of a heavy, bullet-resistant visor.

The task is achieved by means of a safety helmet of the aforementionedtype via features listed in the characterizing portion of Patent claim1.

According to the invention, it is provided that a rail leading in thedirection of the back of the head and designed for bearing and guidingthe visor is arranged on the adapter device.

In other words, the solution according to the invention is therebycharacterized by the fact that the adapter device existing in suchsafety helmets, actually intended for the attaching attachments, such asnight-vision devices, is now provided or used for the attachment of arail, wherein this rail extends outside of the safety helmet over thehead and is designed as a guide rail for the visor, i.e., the visor,which may be heavy and/or bullet-resistant where applicable, can bepushed backwards along the rail if necessary, ensuring a good balancingof the safety helmet.

In addition, the solution according to the invention brings theadvantage that adapters attached to the side of the safety helmet forattaching further helmet attachments are not covered by the visor andcan therefore be used well, which is not guaranteed in the case of knownsolutions where the visor is attached to the side of the safety helmetvia swivel joints.

Other favourable further embodiments of the safety helmet according tothe invention result from the dependent patent claims. For the sake ofcompleteness, reference is made to the further documents DE 197 21 146C2 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,033 B2.

The safety helmet according to the invention including its favourablefurther embodiments according to the dependent patent claims isexplained in more detail below on the basis of the graphic illustrationof a preferred exemplary embodiment.

The figures show:

FIG. 1 in a lateral view from the left, the safety helmet according tothe invention with the visor folded down (closed state);

FIG. 2 perspectively, the safety helmet in accordance with FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 in a lateral view from the left, the safety helmet according tothe invention with the visor half folded up;

FIG. 4 perspectively, the safety helmet in accordance with FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 in a lateral view from the left, the safety helmet according tothe invention with the visor fully folded up (open state);

FIG. 6 perspectively the safety helmet in accordance with FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 in a lateral view from the right, the safety helmet according tothe invention only with rail, but without a visor; and

FIG. 8 in a front view, the safety helmet according to the inventionwith the visor folded down (closed state).

The safety helmet shown in the figures initially consists, in a knownmanner, of a helmet shell 1 that fits a human head and reaches up tohis/her forehead area and a moveable, transparent visor 2 mounted on thehelmet shell 1, wherein an adapter device 3 is arranged on the helmetshell 1 at the forehead area for attaching helmet attachments (such as anight vision devices or the like).

In the exemplary embodiment shown, either the helmet shell 1 and/or thevisor 2 is bullet-resistant, i.e., this safety helmet is intended formilitary or police use.

It is essential for the safety helmet according to the invention that arail 4 leading in the direction of the back of the head for the bearingand guidance of the visor 2 is arranged on the adapter device 3.

Thanks to the rail 4 according to the invention, it is now possible, asis evident from FIG. 5 in particular, to position the visor 2, which isquite heavy in the case of bullet-resistant designs, practically on andno longer only in front of the safety helmet, as is the case withordinary folding visors. It is essential that a bearing point or abearing area of the folded-up visor 2 is located in the area of thehighest point of the helmet shell 1. Since the safety helmet istherefore mounted on the head of a user in a significantly bettermanner, this particularly also increases—apart from the improved wearcomfort—safety of course when using the helmet.

Again, in other words, the visor 2 is arranged in a closed state infront of a face area of a helmet user and, in an open state, above theface side half of the helmet shell 1.

If one looks at the safety helmet according to the invention a littlemore precisely, it is initially provided, in a manner known per se, thatthe adapter device 3 has an interface 5 for attaching the helmetattachments. Being particularly preferred, it is also provided that therail 4 is connected to the helmet shell 1 via this interface 5.

Furthermore, being particularly preferred, it is provided that anauxiliary interface 6 corresponding to the interface 5 is provided onthe rail 4 for the attachment of the helmet components on the foreheadarea side in accessible manner, i.e., thanks to this requirement, it isensured that helmet components, such as a night-vision device, can beattached to the safety helmet despite the mounted rail 4.

Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the rail 4 is additionallyattached to a brim 1.1 of the helmet shell 1 attached to the foreheadarea. More precisely, being particularly preferred, it is provided thatthe rail 4 is attached to the brim 1.1 of the helmet shell 1 using aband 9. Thereby (not shown separately), preferably, a fastening elementmatching the brim 1.1. of the helmet shell 1, in particular, a hookelement, is provided at the rail-facing end of the band 9.

Furthermore, being particularly preferred, the visor 2 is attached to aframe part 7 at its face-side end or upper brim, wherein, in addition, aguide device 8 interacting with the rail 4 is preferably provided on theframe part 7.

This guide device 8 is (see, for example, FIG. 4) preferably composed oftwo guide sections 8.2 extending parallel to on another, accommodatingthe rail 4 between them.

Furthermore, being particularly preferred, it is provided that the rail4 comprises guide grooves pointing outwards on both sides 4.1 and theguide device 8, in particular, the guide sections 8.2, comprisesinward-facing guide elements 8.1 that fit into the guide grooves 4.1.

Furthermore, being particularly preferred, it is provided (see, forexample, FIG. 7) that the guide groove 4.1 beginning in the foreheadarea extends at least to the middle of the helmet shell 1 (preferablyeven slightly beyond).

Furthermore, two preferably cone-shaped guide elements 8.1 are providedfor each guide groove 4.1. Thereby, with the visor 2 folded down,preferably the one guide element 8.1 is arranged in a first guide groovesection 4.1.1 and the other guide element 8.1 is arranged in a secondguide groove section 4.1.2, wherein, in addition, as can be seen fromFIG. 7 in particular, the two guide groove sections 4.1.1, 4.1.2 are atan angle to each other. These requirements lead to the fact that thevisor 2 is first moved forward when folded up and only then upwards(see, in particular, FIGS. 1, 3 and 5 or 2, 4 and 6).

In order to be able to move the visor 2 on the safety helmet as far backas possible, as explained previously, it is also preferably providedthat the guide groove 4.1 has a length that is at least three times aslong as a distance between the two guide elements 8.1.

In order to achieve a high tilting stability, it is also preferablyprovided, as shown in the figures, that the rail is designed as a doublerail consisting of two interconnected single rails, wherein, in addition(and this also applies to constructions without double rail), it isultimately preferably provided that the rail 4 is wider than the adapterdevice 3 (wider refers here to a horizontal extension direction whenusing the safety helmet).

REFERENCE LIST

-   1 helmet shell-   1.1 brim-   2 visor-   3 adapter device-   4 rail-   4.1 guide groove-   4.1.1 first guide groove section-   4.1.2 second guide groove section-   5 interface-   6 auxiliary interface-   7 frame part-   8 guide device-   8.1 guide element-   8.2 guide section-   9 band

1. A safety helmet comprising a helmet shell that fits a human head and reaches up to his/her forehead area (1) and a moveable, transparent visor (2) mounted on the helmet shell (1), wherein an adapter device (3) for attaching helmet attachments is arranged on the helmet shell (1) at the forehead area, wherein a rail (4) leading towards the back of the head designed for the bearing and guidance of the visor (2) is arranged on the adapter device (3).
 2. The safety helmet according to claim 1, wherein the adapter device (3) has an interface (5) for attaching the helmet attachments, wherein the rail (4) is connected to the helmet shell (1) via the interface (5).
 3. The safety helmet according to claim 2, wherein an auxiliary interface (6) corresponding to the interface (5) is provided on the rail (4) at the forehead area in an accessible manner for the attachment of the helmet components.
 4. The safety helmet according to claim 1, wherein the rail (4) is wider than the adapter device (3).
 5. The safety helmet according to claim 1, wherein the visor (2) is attached on its face side to a frame part (7) and a guide device (8) interacting with the rail (4) is provided on the frame part (7).
 6. The safety helmet according to claim 5, wherein the rail (4) comprises guide grooves (4.1) pointing outwards on both sides and the guide device (8) comprises inward-facing guide elements (8.1) that fit into the guide grooves (4.1).
 7. The safety helmet according to claim 6, wherein two guide elements (8.1) are provided for each guide groove (4.1).
 8. The safety helmet according to claim 7, wherein the guide groove (4.1) has a length that is at least three times as long as a distance between the two guide elements (8.1).
 9. The safety helmet according to claim 1, wherein the rail (4) is additionally attached to a brim (1.1) of the helmet shell (1) opposite the forehead area.
 10. The safety helmet according to claim 1, wherein in a closed state the visor (2) is arranged in front of a face area of a helmet user, wherein in an open state the visor (2) is arranged above the front half of the helmet shell (1). 